tech

Healthy Gadgets, VR and Connected Toilets at CES 2018

By Paul B. Kaiser on January 13, 2018

The number of innovations displayed at CES is never in shortage. So I’m highlighting only a few in this article with some links to the top winners. The bottom line is if you can imagine adding the internet to any type of gadget, it’s happening. Some very cool healthcare gadgets, enhanced VR and of course toilets are all in the consumers eye. And when you’re done laughing at the toilet IoT idea, let me tell you, it makes good sense. It cleans itself, it’s heated and it is voice activated. Definitely a dream come true.

May I introduce – the “Toto 750”.

Hey Google – Flush The Toilet

I hear angels when I see this toilet.

numi

Numi intelligent toilet with KOHLER Konnect is Kohler’s most advanced toilet. The Numi offers personalized experiences that let users fine-tune every aspect of their experience to their exact preference, from ambient colored lighting to wireless Bluetooth^® music sync capability to the heated seat and foot warmer. Numi delivers hands-free control, personalized cleansing functionality, and exceptional water efficiency.
Features of Numi with KOHLER Konnect can be controlled through voice-command, the KOHLER Konnect app, or the remote.

hey google ces As you’ve probably heard, Google has dominated CES 2018 and will be the driving force behind many gadgets. Google announced on their blog that Google assistant will be everywhere, on every device.

“The Google Assistant is your personal Google. It lets you have a conversation and ask about everything under the sun and, best of all, it’s available wherever you need help—at home or on the go. Over the past year, we’ve been working to bring the Assistant to more devices in more places and now it’s available on more than 400 million devices.”

The Google Assistant gives you an easy, hands-free way to control your home, whether it’s helping you dim the lights from the comfort of your couch or play your dinner party playlist. It’s already lending a helping hand in speakers like Google Home, Mini and Max. In fact, we’ve sold more than one Google Home every second since Google Home Mini started shipping in October. And with so much excitement around speakers, we’re making the Assistant even more available—this week we’re announcing that the Assistant is coming to new voice-activated speakers from Altec Lansing, Anker Innovations, Bang & Olufsen, Braven, iHome, JBL, Jensen, LG, Klipsch, Knit Audio, Memorex, RIVA Audio and SōLIS.

But there are also moments when a screen would make the Assistant even more helpful, like when you need to learn how to cut a pineapple, and the best way is to watch a video. Today, we’re announcing that the Assistant is coming to smart displays. These new devices have the Google Assistant built in, and with the added benefit of a touch screen, they can help you get even more done. You can watch videos from YouTube, video call with Google Duo, find photos from Google Photos and more. You can also get recommendations for your favorite content, right on the home screen.

Starting later this year, the Assistant is coming to new smart displays from four companies, including JBL, Lenovo, LG and Sony. To learn more about how smart displays were built, visit the Android Developers blog.

Cool Health Gadgets

Gadgets that focus on improving users’ health and well-being were in ample supply this year at CES. Philips launched a wearable headband to enhance sleep. Prevent Biometrics released a mouthguard that could detect concussions. Swim.com and Spire Health Tag collaborated to design a “smart swimsuit” that could help swimmers track their water workouts. Neutrogena unveiled its SkinScanner, which attaches to an iPhone and syncs with the Skin360 app to help users assess their skin health from home.

The SkinScanner product was made in partnership with a New York-based company called Fitskin. It’s a tool that slides onto the top of your iPhone and uses 12 LED lights and a 30x magnification lens to capture an up-close image of your skin. It also has a moisture sensor, around the rim of the lens. You open the app, press the device right onto your face, and take a series of images. Glamour shots these are not: these are close-up readings of your skin’s moisture levels, wrinkles, and pore size.

The L’Oreal UV Sense may help prevent Skin Cancer

The smaller a device is, the more wearable it becomes, and that’s one of the reasons that L’Oreal’s UV Sense is so intriguing. It’s a UV sensor no bigger than a thumbnail that tells you, via your smartphone, how much sun exposure you’ve received each day. The benefits are twofold: Not only could this help prevent skin cancer, it’s also a key step on a micro-wearable computing journey that could revolutionize the world.

Best of CES

See the list of CES winners

Photo by John Locher People walk through a display of television screens during CES International, in Las Vegas
Gadget Show LG, Las Vegas, USA – 09 Jan 2018

When it rains, it pours. And on the first day of CES 2018, the monstrous gadget expo that drew an astounding 184,000 people to Las Vegas this year, it rained. Hard. Traffic snarled, Google’s parking lot tent at the Las Vegas Convention Center flooded, drones were grounded, autonomous cars sat parked.

The next day, a power outage plunged the entire show floor into darkness.

It would be fair to say that CES 2018 gave us plenty of ominous reasons to remember it, but fortunately for us, there also were plenty of fun things to see when the lights were on. From the usual spate of wall-sized TVs to servile robots, crazy-fast PCs, and new VR headsets, all the usual culprits were in attendance. But we set out to find the best of the best for our annual Top Tech of CES awards.

Nice overview of CES 2018

At the Apple event, Will “X” mark the spot for the new iPhone

By Paul B. Kaiser on September 13, 2017

Update:: New iPhone 8 Gold has arrived. Some early pics.

Today, the highly anticipated announcements from Apple took place at the Steve Jobs theatre, as they do every year. But this year was inherently different because Apple was in the new magnificent location (see drone footage), and the iPhone, really the first smartphone, was introduced 10 years ago. I’m going to give a few facts and specs below, but Ill let the pictures tell the story. Bottom line is that Apple is great, the iPhone is better than last year’s, and technology is held together by companies like Apple. The iPhone X is here and it looks awesome. “All you need is love” was the message that Apple and Tim Cook opened the conference with, and I believe that is what all their employees put into their products.

If you want to watch the full Apple keynote go here.

On a side note, as it relates to love, Apple literally just donated 5 million dollars to the HandinHand2017 Hurricane relief as I was writing this.

So the quick summary from the event is that there were 3 major announcements.

A New Apple Watch – Series 3 (See more here)
An updated Apple TV 4K (see more info)
And of course the new iPhones – 3 models iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus specs:

Still has a physical Home button
4.7-inch display for iPhone 8; 5.5-inch display for iPhone 8 Plus
Glass surface on front and back
Wireless charging using Qi standard (can be charged using third party wireless chargers that also use Qi)
LTE Advance for faster network connections
Water and dust resistant
Powered by an A11 Bionic chip, two performance cores
12 mega-pixel camera with two new sensors and optical image stabilizers
“Portrait Lighting” feature uses the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus’ dual cameras to sense depth and rework the lighting while you compose the shot
Highest quality video ever in a smartphone
Shoots video in 4K
New gyroscopes and accelerometers for augmented reality
Both models available in 64 GB and 256 GB
iPhone 8 starts at $699, iPhone 8 Plus starts at $799
Comes in silver, space gray, gold finishes
Pre-order opens Sept. 15, available Sept. 22

iPhone X

Basically the same as the iPhone 8 with these features.

Edge-to-edge display
Glass on front and back (same as iPhone 8)
Water and dust resistant
Comes in space gray and silver finishes
Super retina display (5.8-inch screen, 458 pixels per inch)
OLED display

No more home button on the “X”

Raise the phone or tap on any part of the screen to “wake up” the device, swipe up from bottom to go to home screen
Rather than pressing the home button, the phone unlocks by recognizing your face using the TrueDepth Camera System (infrared camera, floor illuminator, dot projector and front camera).
It works night and day, and learns your face over time so it cannot be duped by a photo or mask. Every time you glance at iPhone X it detects your face, takes an image, and checks it against a photo you took earlier.
When you take the initial ID photo, you move your head around so Face ID recognizes you from different angles. All processing is done on iPhone X and not sent to server to protect face data.
Face ID works with apps that use Touch ID, and can be used to verify payments.

The camera

Dual optical image stabilization
Larger and faster sensor
Quad-LED true tone flash

Size and price

iPhone X available in 64 GB and 256 GB models
Starts at $999
Preorders available Oct. 27, ships Nov. 3

Full photo gallery here.

Video Gallery

Apple says end of an era for the iPod

By Paul B. Kaiser on July 29, 2017

Apple announced that the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle would be discontinued and were halted from sales last Thursday. The end of an era for some popular gadgets. But have no fear, Apple plans to continue selling its internet-connected iPod Touch. It should be no surprise to anyone since smartphones are mainly used for listening to music, videos, and taking pictures, with an occasional phone call.

The Nano and Shuffle came out in 2005 as less expensive and smaller alternatives to Apple’s standard iPod, but the company stopped updating the Nano and Shuffle several years ago. Knowing that many may be nervous buying a iPod Touch, Apple doubled the storage capacity of its top-of-line model to 128 gigabytes. That version costs $300. An iPod Touch with 32 gigabytes of storage sells for $200. The company’s sales of iPods peaked in its fiscal year 2008 when the devices generated revenue of $9.2 billion. The iPhone at that time accounted for $1.8 billion in revenue that same year.

End of an era for Apple

It truly is the end of an era for Apple, as the iPod was a treasured gadget by Steve Jobs. The iPod introduced by Steve was one of the most innovative gadgets if all time. And not just for the hardware, but he changed the music industry and how we listen to music. For me it seems like yesterday he introduced the iPod in 2001.

Steve knew how to sell Apple products especially when he liked the product, and he believed in this product. By the time he was done on stage, it seemed perfectly natural for Apple to make a music player. Its design blew everything else out of the water. It was beautiful and it was well engineered.

“A thousand songs in your pocket,” he said.

The iPod name isn’t being totally phased out — Apple’s newest audio products are AirPods and HomePod. And the iPod Touch was recently by far the best-selling iPod. One reason Apple may be phasing the iPod Shuffle out is that it doesn’t have Bluetooth, which means it won’t work with Apple’s latest wireless headphones, AirPods. Neither iPod supports Apple Music, Apple’s online streaming service for audio and video.

Why it’s always sad to see a good gadget phased out, it has great replacements and they had a good run. It’s time to move onto the iPhone 8! Another historic Steve Jobs gadget.

Fidget Spinners – Craze or Crazy?

By Paul B. Kaiser on July 1, 2017

The craze, the fad, the mystery, the money – it’s Fidget Spinners for 2017. If you have kids you know about Fidget Spinners. Or if you act like a kid in my case. Fidget Spinners are the latest craze, so hop on the train while it’s hot. Here’s the scoop in this cool gadget.

Fidget spinners are getting a lot of bad press lately – bursting into flames, causing fights and danger to young kids. While I don’t dispute there are some concerns, like any other toy, if handled properly, it is just simple stupid fun. And that’s all it is. Believe me in 3 months the hype will be over and nobody will remember. With that said, I find them irresistible and when Im sitting in front of the computer or TV it is just mindless finger exercises.

So what exactly is the infatuation? How long have they been around? Are there any positive things to say about spinners? There are a couple. They are said to:

Be stress relievers
Relieve nervous energy and psychological stress
And supposedly used in the treatment of autism and ADHD (I doubt this one is true)

“Using a spinner-like gadget is more likely to serve as a distraction than a benefit for individuals with ADHD,” said Mark Rapport, a clinical psychologist.

What is a Fidget Spinner?

A fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a bearing in the center of a multi-lobed flat structure made from metal or plastic designed to spin along its axis with little effort.

Fidget spinners became popular toys in 2017, although similar devices had already been invented in 1993. The toy became popular among schoolchildren. Some schools banned the spinners for being a distraction, while other schools allowed the toy to be used discreetly.

popularity map — The popularity of Fidgit Spinners in the US

Where did Fidget Spinners originate?

Catherine Hettinger, a chemical engineer by training, was initially credited by some news stories to have been the inventor of the fidget spinner, including by media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and the New York Post. Hettinger filed a patent application for a “spinning toy” in 1993 and a patent was issued, but Hettinger allowed the patent to lapse in 2005 after she could not find a commercial partner. A May 2017 Bloomberg News article showed that Hettinger was not the inventor of the fidget spinner, and Hettinger agreed. In an interview appearing on May 4, 2017 on NPR, Scott McCoskery described how he invented a metal spinning device in 2014 to cope with his own fidgeting in IT meetings and conference calls. And the rest is history.

Bluetooth enabled Fidget Spinners

If that wasn’t enough, now you can buy fidget spinners that are bluetooth enabled and connect to your phone and play music. A company called BlueSpin is about to launch a spinner that connects to an app on your phone that gamifies the fidget spinner experience, allowing you to complete trick challenges, share your scores, and chat with your friends about how much you love fidget spinning.

bluetooth

The spinner includes touch sensitive buttons on each side, and an accelerometer to track motion. It can track your speed and number of spins (thanks, magnets), and tell you how cool you are whenever you manage to transfer the spinner from hand to hand, or balance it on a single finger. The tiny built-in battery is replaceable, and supposed to last for an entire year on a single charge.

How many Fidget Spinners have sold?

Right now, the market is flooded with cratefuls of imitations, most from China. Some version of fidget spinners currently occupies all of Amazon’s Top 20 best-selling toys and games.

Allen Ashkenazie is executive vice president of Almar Sales in New York City, a supplier of toys to such retailers as Wal-Mart and Toys ‘R’ Us, said that by the end of May his company will have shipped out 45 million fidget spinners that retail from $5 to $25 each.

Types of Fidget Spinners [Pics]

In the news

Tricks with your Fidget Spinner

“Hello” iPhone – The evolution over 10 years

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 29, 2017

The TV commercial for the iPhone only had one word in the ad – “Hello.” It would be the pinnacle of accomplishment that Steve Jobs had worked his whole life towards. He drove this innovation smart and tough. The association with AT&T was bold, but a neccisity to make the iPhone an exclusive toy. The iPhone became so popular and it put Blackberry out of business, changed the way we listen to music and ultimately built the house of Apple – the new Apple campus.

TV commercial for the first iPhone – “Hello”

10 years ago today, the tech, phone, and consumer industry changed forever. The iPhone was shipped and in the hands of the consumer. I had the Palm Treo which seemed so magical, but then the iPhone came out and I felt like I had the oldest tech around. It had a full touch screen! No need for buttons – yikes.

As we near the debut of the new iPhone in September of 2017, the 10 year mark which is today, June 29th, 2017, we are is reminded just how much we love our phones. We have spent billions of dollars and created an empire. Ironically, I have never owned an iPhone, but I love Apple, and I love everything they do for technology and consumerism. I feel compelled to write about the iPhone because it was an invention, not just a phone. I thought I’d let the pictures, videos and charts tell the story.

Steve Jobs made the announcement just 6 months previous to the launch, and the promise of a tech revolution looked real. He stated that…

“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything … One is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career. Apple’s been very fortunate. It’s been able to introduce a few of these into the world.”

The evolution of the iPhone (minus the iphone 7)

iPhone 1 – 2007

iPhone 2 – 2008

iPhone 3- 2009

iPhone 4 – 2011

iPhone 5 – 2013

iPhone 6 – 2014

iPhone 7 – 2016

iPhone Fun Facts

Here are some Interesting Facts about this iPhone:

iPhone started as a Tablet Project, but when the Apple employees came up with an iPad design with a virtual keyboard, Steve Jobs thought that they can apply this technology to a phone and this is how, iPhone came into existence.
Exclusive rights for selling the first iPhone were Turned Down by Verizon – (LOL)
Apple, when looking for a carrier partner to sell the first iPhone insisted that the device will only carry the Apple’s Logo and not that of the carrier.
The App Store by Apple was the first online space that offered downloading an app legally.
All the iPhones in the iPhone advertisements show the time 9:41. This is the time when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.
While Samsung and Apple are the biggest rivals, but not everyone knows that Samsung makes the processors for iPhones.
In 2007, iPhone was awarded as the “Invention of the Year” by Times Magazine.
In 2012, Apple sold 340,000 iPhones per day. A whopping 125 Million iPhones for the year.
Apple’s iPhone has higher sales as compared to everything being sold under the label “Microsoft”.
Apple’s iPhone in Brazil is Twice More Expensive than in the USA.

What to expect from TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2017

By Paul B. Kaiser on May 13, 2017

What Is Disrupt?

TechCrunch Disrupt is the premier startup and technology news conference that brings to life all the things that make techcrunch.com great – startups, news, and a no “BS” attitude. Digital Intervention will be there this week to take in this experience. For full information from TechCrunch, click here.

What Can You Do At Disrupt?

TechCrunch Disrupt is for anyone who is interested in startups and tech. It has become the “Go To” event for Tech startups.

Get breaking news first-hand from our Disrupt main stage with high-profile speakers and thought leaders.
Watch the ultimate pitch competition during the Startup Battlefield, where a select handful of top-notch early stage startups compete for a $50,000 grand prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup.
Discover & meet hundreds of early stage startups in Startup Alley or Hardware Alley. Startups exhibiting in the Alley change each and every day!
Network and schedule meetings with other attendees through the Disrupt App.
Investors and Startups get matched with CrunchMatch, a curated matching program with private meeting spaces at Disrupt.
Decompress after a full day at the official Disrupt After Party.

Here are a few items you can expect at Disrupt NY 2017 according to Tech Crunch.

Derek Jeter and Jaymee Messler of The Players’ Tribune will discuss the future of the site and sports media. Facebook’s Fidji Simo will talk about how video leads the site’s content creation and what comes next. We have AngelList founder Naval Ravikant discussing changes in how investing is done. And author, famed World Chess Champion and political enthusiast Garry Kasparov will talk about his new book, “Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins.”

Incubus guitarist Michael Einziger is set to close the show on Wednesday, May 17th with a special musical presentation, featuring Pharrell Williams and Incubus, that will demonstrate the technology developed by his startup, MIXhalo. We’ll hear about what exciting things Instagram’s head of product, Kevin Weil, has in store for us and we’ll hear from the co-founder of Campaign Zero, Brittany Packnett, about how data is used in social movements. And, of course, there are 20 amazing young companies in Startup Battlefield that will compete to win the Disrupt Cup and $50,000.

Full agenda is here.

The Hackathon at Disrupt – Where Great Products Are Born in 24 Hours

Preceding the Disrupt Conference is Hackathon weekend on May 13-14, where developers and engineers descend from all over the world to take part in a 24-hour hacking endurance test. Teams join forces to build a new product, present it on the Disrupt stage to a panel of expert judges and an audience of tens of thousands and compete for a variety of prizes, including the chance to win free tickets to the Disrupt Conference. Products created at the Disrupt Hackathon have seen great success beyond the event, like GroupMe which was created overnight and ultimately acquired by Skype for $80M.

More info on the Hackathon.

Showcase Stage Demos In Startup Alley

Stop by the Showcase Stage in the heart of Startup Alley to see startups in these fields demo their company’s innovations at 12:00pm each day of the conference.

STARTUP BATTLEFIELD

Startup Battlefield brings the world’s top early stage startups together on one stage to compete for the coveted Disrupt Cup, a $50,000 prize, and the attention of media and investors. Since appearing on the TechCrunch stage, Battlefield alumni have collectively raised over $6.9 billion. The judges include TechCrunch editors as well as top VCs and entrepreneurs, and past winners include names like Dropbox, Mint, Yammer, Zenefits, and many more. Participation is free and open. More info.